THE SADNESS OF ASTRONOMERS

I tweeted this this morning:

Twinkle twinkle little star
I can't ever fly that far
Time and space will always be
Between your burning heart and me

... and then deleted it. I thought maybe it didn't convey the sadness I'm feeling at the moment. Then I realised that even if it did, I probably ought to be a bit more positive about it.

This is how it is with astronomers. We carry the sadness of observing the beauty of the stars from far away, examining the craters of the Moon and the rings of Saturn, or the great eye of Jupiter, knowing that we might not ever get a chance to go and be astronauts. It never quite works out for us, it seems.

Ah but come on Matt, positivity! Being an astronomer is great isn't it? Well let's push the metaphor open...

1. No space travel

Space travel is expensive and dangerous. There are asteroids, freezing temperatures, pressureless vacuums and blood-boiling sunlight. Plus you have to navigate your way through the void while sitting on a tank of rocket fuel which could explode at any moment.

2. You can see a lot with a telescope

I don't know whether astronauts appreciate this fully, but there is a lot of stuff you can see and calculate from the telescope. You get a much bigger picture from further away.

3. Not all astronauts make it

I guess climbing aboard a rocket is a big decision and once those engines fire up and the earth speeds away, there is no turning back. Some astronauts regret the day they reached for the stars, the time it took and the miserable loneliness and tedium of interstellar travel. I bet they wish they stayed in the observatory rather than getting on the rocket. Astronomers still have their options open, plus they can see the stars with a cup of tea, a slice of cake and good old Newtonian gravity.

4. Astronauts need astronomers

Heading off into the unknown is risky at the best of times, let alone without an idea of what's ahead. Astronauts could use the perspective of an astronomer who's charted the constellations, who studied the reaches of space and can give expert guidance about the journey. Astronauts and astronomers ought to be the best of friends if they're sharing the adventure.

Yeah! How's that for positivity? Now, where's that telescope?

Down below the velvet sky
Where I look up at you and sigh
Twinkle twinkle beauty bright
For I will always love your light